Most first-timers to Jordan make a beeline for Petra, then after spending a day or two exploring the site – an ancient metropolis carved from stone that’s like nothing else on earth – head off to float in the Dead Sea. I prefer my travels a little more off the beaten path, which is why I was so excited to learn about the just-launched Jordan Trail, a 400-mile hiking route that runs the length of the country from the ruins of Umm Qais up north all the way to the Red Sea in the south.

As I trudged along an old shepherd’s path toward a Jordanian eco-lodge that shimmered like a mirage in the heat, however, one recent May afternoon I wondered what I’d signed on for … continue reading

Kim Brown Seely is a contributing editor at Virtuoso Life magazine and 2016 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year. She has written about far-flung places for National Geographic Adventure, Travel & Leisure, Town & Country, Outside,Coastal Living, and Sunset. When she’s not on the road she divides her time between Seattle, Washington, and Hailey, Idaho, and can be found at kimbrownseely.com.